


Coffee for Two

by fearnotthedemons



Series: 7 Day Fic Challenge [4]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Adorable Steve, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop, Date gone wrong, F/M, Fluff, Jealous Bucky, M/M, Stucky - Freeform, coffee shop AU, listen steve and bucky are gay for each other in every universe and thats just facts, writing challenge, writing prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 10:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11918658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fearnotthedemons/pseuds/fearnotthedemons
Summary: Prompt: A dinner date gone terribly wrong, told from the perspective of the waiter who is purposefully making it awful because they think one of them is cute and the other is u n w o r t h y.





	Coffee for Two

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is brought to you by: sleep deprivation (sorry in advance)

Bucky loved working in the small coffee shop on the corner. It was relatively peaceful, and the customers were, for the most part, very friendly. He wasn’t the most social guy, so seeing so many different people on a daily basis allowed him to live vicariously through them. He had spent months getting to know the story behind every regular. 

Agatha, the little old lady with the ancient pug named Edgar, was a retired English professor and often quoted Shakespeare to her wrinkled companion as they shared their tea and biscuits. 

The man with spectacles larger than his protruding nose was Jim, and he was an IT expert at the store down the street. He always came in to order for his whole team; large black coffees with a shot (or two) of espresso for dealing with hysterical customers well into the night. 

Bucky’s personal favorite was the blond veteran who came in every morning after his run. Steve. He was always so polite and sweet, making sure to ask everyone how their morning had been. Sometimes his friend Sam came with him and they would chat together about their time serving abroad, or the weather, or what movies they wanted to go see over the weekend. Bucky always found a way to be the one serving their table, and while no one else mentioned it, it was pretty clear he was dealing with a little bit of a crush. 

Not that Bucky was prepared to admit that. He was perfectly happy to share a few pleasant exchanges with the charming man every morning and let his heart quietly burn every time their fingertips brushed when he handed him his drink, or whenever Steve remembered something about him or their previous conversations. That was, until Steve brought a date to the coffee shop one afternoon.

Her name was Sharon and never did Bucky dislike someone more on sight. From her styled blonde hair to the sassy yet functional outfit she wore, he simply could not find a single virtue that would excuse how close she was stood to Steve. No. This would not do. Bucky made a silent promise to himself right then: He could not - would not - let this woman ruin his one-sided pining. Not today. 

He started subtly by greeting Steve by name. A little display of dominance to let her know that he had known Steve longer, and that they were on regular speaking terms. Steve greeted him back with a warm smile and introduced Sharon to him. The smile Bucky gave to Sharon never reached his eyes, and she seemed just a little disconcerted by him. Good. The first step to success was fear. 

Then luck gave him an opportunity; Steve had to run to the bathroom. Sharon was left alone to order after Bucky assured Steve he would get him his regular (another intimidation tactic). 

“What can I get you, Charlene?” Bucky asked in his sweetest and most well-meaning customer service voice.

“It’s Sharon,” she corrected him gently.

“Shelley - right! Sorry. So, what can I get you?”

“Sharon,” she repeated again firmly, “and I’ll have a Pumpkin Spice Latte with skim milk.”

“Pumpkin Spice with skim, got it. Sure thing, Cheryl.”

A look of protest crossed her face, but at that moment Steve came back from his speedy bathroom break and whatever she was going to say was momentarily forgotten. As he turned away to get their orders sorted, Bucky smiled to himself. Everything was going according to plan. 

He could have messed up her order, but that was overdoing it. Besides, it was a matter of professional pride; he was good at what he did, and he wouldn’t stoop so low as to ruin his reputation. What he would stoop to, however, was giving her the most intense side-eye possible as he waited nearby tables without alerting Steve to what he was doing.

It seemed to be enough. She was sat incredibly stiff in her chair for someone who was meant to be enjoying the relaxed and godly company of Steve Rogers. Half of a good date was the overall setting and experience, and so far (thanks to Bucky) hers had been uncomfortable enough that she might not even want another date with Steve. 

Meanwhile, Steve didn’t seem to be enjoying himself that much either. It was hard to have a really engaging conversation with someone so obviously on edge. He wished he knew what was wrong… Maybe it was him? Was he being too forward? Should he even have agreed to a date? Ugh. That’d be the last time he went to Natasha for dating advice. 

When Bucky came back with their drinks he had their names printed on their respective cups, as per his usual policy. “Steve” had been scribed with care, while “Shelby” was done in a slightly sloppier fashion.

When Sharon read the cup, her brow wrinkled in frustration. She let out a huff and then glared right at Bucky. This was it. The last straw.

“My name,” she said very pointedly, “is Sharon. S-h-a-r-o-n. Not Shawn, not Charlotte, or any other name that isn’t Sharon!!” 

She then launched into a veritable tirade about customer service these days and how no one seemed to value the individual anymore. People like Bucky were a plague on society! See if she would ever come back to a shop that undervalued its customers like that! 

It was horrifying, and it was everything Bucky could have hoped for.

He took the full force of her anger like a champ, but he didn’t have to hold out all that long before Steve stepped in. His usually kind blue eyes had turned stern, and he asked her very seriously to please step out. If she couldn’t see or appreciate how hard Bucky and his fellow baristas worked on a daily basis, then maybe she shouldn’t have come in the first place. 

Sharon left in a huff and told Steve not to call her. He responded by saying he wouldn’t want to, and Bucky swooned internally. What a man. 

“Sorry about that,” Steve said apologetically afterwards. “I really have no idea what set her off like that. It was totally out of line.”

“Don’t worry about it - I’ve definitely heard worse. It’s part of the job, I guess,” Bucky reassured him.

“But it shouldn’t be,” Steve argued. “At least let me buy you a coffee to make up for it.” 

Bucky raised an eyebrow at that. “Will I be making it?” he asked, mischief in his eyes. 

“No! No,” Steve reassured him, blushing madly. Man, was he cute when he was flustered. “I have an espresso maker at home. Maybe I could make you a cup? To apologize for my crazy date?” 

“Sounds wonderful,” Bucky said. And oh, did he mean it.

He sighed to himself and smiled happily at Steve. Bucky loved working in the small coffee shop on the corner.


End file.
